State of Mountain Address

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Hello followers, fans and fanatics of BackpackingAT. As you have noticed over the past couple weeks, there has been a lack of updates, uploads and uplifting photos and quirky comments. Well it's all my fault (Victor aka Pundit)...here's why

To give you an unfortunate update and statistic - there are no representatives of BackpackingAT currently on the Appalachian Trail. As we speak Bo (Comfy) is hopping on a plane to Africa where he will be meeting his family to help out with some mission work and do a little site seeing. Bo, known to be hiking a very different hike, originally got off the trail to pursue his future entrepreneurs - I'll let him explain that in the near future. However, if we are lucky, the AT might see him one last time this year...

Eric (Rango/Hangry) and Lauren (successfully did not receive a trail name) are now back in Redondo Beach after seeing most of the highlighted parts of AT in the Northern section of the trail. They made a wise/smart decision to jump off the trail before their finances completely diminished and are now trying to figure out what path they should take next.

Then there is me... I secretly (for the most part) got off the trail a couple weeks ago and ended up in Chicago. I decided not to rush the last 400 miles of my hike, in order to make the deadline of finishing the trail by September 1st so I could attend the Wedding I am standing up in Sept 7th. After hearing about the beauty of the "Whites", tales of Mount Washington and the epic 100 mile stretch of wilderness, since Georgia, I knew I did not want to blaze past some of the most iconic sections. Since getting off the trail I have been a recluse. Healing my sore body, over indulging on non trail food (even though I still love my Instant Carnation in the morning), and setting up my next EPIC adventure. For as much as I would LOVE to elude to what's next, I have to keep this one close to chest for reason you will understand later. Fear not I will make sure to keep ALL of you informed as I plan to include you in my futures adventures.

What is next? Well the trail has not seen the last of me! I have my flight booked for the middle of September, back to Manchester, NH. I will jump on a shuttle (or perhaps hitch a ride) to Hanover NH and pick up where I left off on the Appalachian Trail. With a month left before Baxter State Park (Mt. Katahdin) closes, I will be able to complete the 400+ miles remaining of my hike. Granted the weather will drastically be different (cold and perhaps some snow), and the miles ahead of me are no easy walk in the park (elevations peak at 5-6,000 and dip back down to the 1,000ft in the coarse of a day) there will be many challenges ahead of me. Luckily for you, this shall be entertaining. For me I suppose I would describe it as something different. I'll let you know when I get there.

SOOO until I get back on the trail, I will continue to enjoy the rest of a Chicago/Detroit (where I will be spending my time) summer. I'll keep myself in semi-shape by walking steps and runs every now and then. I'll update some of my equipment, and hopefully gain a couple more followers as my BackpackingAT stamper finds it way around the city. I'll also be sharing some information on other hikers/adventurers I have been following all along and who have been providing some awesome advice. And of course, strategically continue to plan my next adventure.

Thanks again for your patience during this intermittence. I appreciate all your comments, likes and support as this past 1800 miles have truly been life changing!

Love,
Pundit

Day 129 - The Plot Thickens

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I'm gonna let you in on a marketing secret... Like the middle child (myself excluded) no one really remembers what happens in the middle. As with our our adventure there has been lacking of some posts during this middle portion. But I tell myself that's okay. People will remember your story as they recall you preparing for your hike by purchasing and posting pictures of you huddling up in a sleeping bag in the middle of REI for that epic picture you took naked at the top of Mt. Katahdin..

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So now begins our last couple legs of our trip. With one month to go and 500 miles to hike, one can soon realize the plot that starting to take shape. Ohh yeah every good story needs a plot, so here is how things are shaping up. 

 Fact 1) I'm a loner. With Eric and Lauren now South bounding (skipping to Mt. Katahdin and walking south) there is no chance of them meeting up with me, except for that single day hen we pass each other on the trail granted. Bo on the other hand has left the trail for a while to pursue an Africa Safari adventure with his family and hopefully returning to the trail in order to see Baxter State Park before the summit closes October 15. 

Fact 2) I'm on a Time Crunch. The entire reason for me to finish by September 1st is so that I can get to Detroit in time in order to stand up in one of my best friends (since elementary school) wedding. Should I not finish the trail by this time, I fear I will not make it back to Maine to finish as my lack of funds and real world glutinous ways would have got me too "comfy" to head back out for a couple of weeks. 

Fact 3) at this moment we need to hike an average of 16 miles a day for the next 31 days in order to make this work to finish on time. Now keeping in mind there this calculation does not include any "zero days" ( days where you do not hike any miles) nor accounts for the harder sections of the trail where we are forced to hike only 10 miles in a day due to great elevations we will have to climb and descend. 

There you have it. We shall see what everything pans out. But dont worry as long as i have my health to keep me hiking, food to keep me energized and a Verizon Wireless Signal to keep posting everything should work out just fine! Now back to hiking...